A network communication core, such as a private branch exchange (PBX), comprises a switch, a switch controller, and a core memory. Communication devices, such as telephones and trunk lines, are connected to the switch. The controller establishes pathways through the switch and provides services to facilitate communications. For example, if one telephone set dials a destination number (DN) of another telephone set on the switch, the controller may, first establish a pathway through the switch to the destination set and, if the destination set does not go off-hook after a certain number of rings, forward the call to another telephone set on the switch. Additionally, when one telephone set dials another, the controller may pass a call line identification (CLID) to the destination set prior to the first ringing signal. The manner in which the controller handles communications on the network depends upon the network configuration; the core memory stores the configuration information for the core.
On installation of a network it is necessary to store configuration information for the network. Further, at different times, it may be desirable to change the network configuration or simply determine an aspect of the current configuration. These functions in a network are known as Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (O&AM).
One known method of permitting OA&M in a PBX is to provide telephone sets with displays. Then, by dialling a special code and entering a password, an OA&M menu in the controller may be accessed. By working through this menu, the controller may be passed reconfiguration information. When the controller receives reconfiguration information it first validates the information (e.g., checks that the data fits certain parameters, such as the maximum length for a name to be associated with a telephone set). If the data is valid, it is stored in the memory thereby reconfiguring the network.
One drawback to this method of OA&M is that it can only be performed on-site; that is, via a telephone attached to the controller. It is desirable to be able to reconfigure a controller from a remote location. Another shortcoming of set-based OA&M is that the User Interface (UI) of the OA&M system is limited by the telephone set, which typically has a small display and a few buttons. This limits the amount and complexity of data which can be presented to the OA&M user.
A Personal Computer (PC) can also be used to provide access to OA&M functions on the controller. This PC could be located remotely from the controller, in which case it would connect to the controller over the network; alternatively, the PC could be located on-site with the controller. In either case, software running on the PC extracts configuration data from the controller and displays it on the PC screen. When the PC user changes this data, it is passed back to the controller. The responsibility for validating this reconfiguration data may fall on the PC software, or the controller, or both.
Having the PC software perform validation of reconfiguration data is advantageous in that it generally allows a more sophisticated and robust interface to the PC user. Also, this method reduces the amount of communication needed between the PC and the controller. A drawback of this method is that the PC software then becomes specific to a particular controller: it must implement the rules that govern the configuration data, and these rules may change from one controller variant to the next.
Alternatively, the PC can simply act as a "dumb terminal", providing input and output (via the keyboard and screen) for the remote user. All outputs (displays) are generated by the controller, and all input (reconfiguration data) validation is provided by the controller. While this allows the PC software to be generic with respect to controller variants, it has the drawback of being slow. All the data displayed by the PC is passed from the controller to the PC over the network. All the data entered by the PC is passed back to the controller over the network. The controller is burdened with these tasks, thus slowing the overall performance of the core.
This invention seeks to overcome drawbacks of known OA&M systems.